


To Be Wanted

by Fantasylands



Category: Cats (2019), Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: Fluff, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22867054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasylands/pseuds/Fantasylands
Summary: Thrust into a new life full of magic and mystery, Victoria finds herself quite unsure of how to proceed. Thankfully, she has the help of those who care about her most.(Mostly based upon the 2019 film, however, some of the canon will be taken from the stage version.)
Relationships: Mr. Mistoffelees/Victoria
Comments: 40
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Because there are almost no 2019 Mistoria fics out there. Enjoy!

In the breaking light of early morning, as the last of the Jellicles scurried away, back to their homes, back to the railway, back to their lives, Victoria was once again alone. Not the alone that she had been but a half day ago; this was the pleasant, satisfied sort of alone that follows bidding farewell to dear friends after an evening spent in revelry. The laziness of the slow-rising sun created a sense of comfort within Victoria, putting her more at ease than she had been in some time. Enjoying the golden wash of the sun’s warmth, she stretched out on her perch atop the lion statue, white fur gleaming in the fresh sunshine. If there was a Jellicle Moon, she wondered, what of a Jellicle Sun? She smiled a bit at the thought of it before her jaw stretched open into a yawn.

Soon she was quite nearly unable to keep her eyes open. The whirlwind of the previous night weighed heavily on her eyelids, and her limbs grew heavier with each breath she took. As she drifted off, dancing and Jellicles and magic began to blur in the haziest part of her mind as she took up occupancy in the clouded space between awake and dreaming.

* * *

The sun had risen a fair bit higher in the sky when Victoria’s eyes flew open. Where was she? What time was it? Vague memories flowed through her mind like slow syrup; dancing shadows, impossible things, the feel of soft fur brushing her face - but the one that stood out most of all was that of fear. A lonely, hopeless, suffocating fear that threatened to swallow her up. Darkness. Confusion. Confinement. As these memories began to push the others out and take a gripping hold of her consciousness, she all but yelped when a timid voice suddenly came from somewhere behind her.

“Hullo,” the voice said.

“Hullo?” Victoria said in reply, an automatic politeness prevailing over startledness.

She turned to see just the top bit of a tiny top hat poking up from over the side of the lion’s mane. Victoria inched closer to the edge and peered down at her visitor.

A shy smile and pale blue eyes peered back up at her.

“Are you quite all right, Victoria?” the cat inquired. “You seem awfully jumpy.”

Misty recollections of what had perhaps not been a dream began to take a more solid form within Victoria’s memory.

“May I come up?” The tom asked, if only as a formality, for he was already beginning to pull himself up to sit beside her.

Victoria rearranged herself to make room for her guest, tucking her legs neatly at her side. Shadows of uncertainty marred her delicate features as she struggled to piece together the fractured reflections of the night before.

In a momentary departure from propriety, Victoria studied the face of the cat sitting adjacent to her. White and black. A tuxedo tom with the bright blue eyes of a kitten. He was giving her an apprehensive, but kind, smile. Much of her memory was still hazy, but this face - _his_ face - stuck out clear in her mind.

“Mistoffelees!” Victoria exclaimed, halfway between excitement and disbelief.

His ears perked up on either side of his hat at the mention of his name.

“Yes, hello... Again,” He chuckled, eyes flitting nervously between her face and his paws.

“What are you doing here?” Victoria asked, an unmistakable hint of wonder threading through her high voice.

“I might ask you the same question,” Mistoffelees began with conviction, though he seemed to lose bravery with each passing word. “I waited for you at The Egyptian; I thought that was where you’d go after speaking with Old Deuteronomy, but it seems you are right where I left you.”

“The Egyptian,” Victoria repeated under her breath. Each of the shadowed memories from the previous night suddenly clicked into place within her mind. “So it truly was...”

“Pardon?” Mistoffelees interjected.

Victoria shook her head. “It’s good to see you, is all.” Her voice lowered. “I... I thought I might have dreamt it; I didn’t think it had been real.”

“If what had been real?”

“All of it... The Ball, the Choice...”

“A-and me?” Mistoffelees finished the thought.

Victoria looked away in embarrassment. Of course he was real. This black and white tom, this flesh-and-blood cat sitting right next to her, he was as solid as the marble they sat upon. He was nary a foot away from her, the confusion on his face plain as the day before them.

“You surely can’t blame me!” Victoria protested. “Last night was...” She paused, searching for the correct word. Exhausting? Magical? Overwhelming?

Mistoffelees nodded in agreement, finding meaning in her silence. “Yes, the Jellicle Ball usually is.”

“It’s just... It was such a rapid pace, you know,” Victoria said. “Going so quickly from having nothing and no one to having somewhere to belong and someone to belong with.”

As the statement tumbled off her lips, Victoria found herself quite unsure of her own words. She pondered at the ‘someone’, and whether her intended meaning had been many ‘someone’s, or perhaps just one.

Mistoffelees had gone rather quiet. He reached up and removed his hat, holding it delicately in his paws, fingers curling around the brim. Victoria’s eyes met his and he wet his lips before opening his mouth to speak.

“Now that you’re one of us - a Jellicle, I mean - we’ll all make sure you’re well taken care of. That’s what Jellicles do, look after one another. We’ll make sure you never feel alone again, all of us - Munk, and Cassandra, and Old Deut... And me, too.”

It was the “and me” that made Victoria’s breath catch. This tom, she now recalled, had done so much for her from the moment she was thrust into the Jellicle tribe. He had welcomed her with open arms, included her at every possible opportunity, even saved her life. He was one of the biggest reasons she now had friends to call her own, and she couldn’t help but think that there might not ever be enough she could do to repay him.

“Thank you,” was all she could manage for now.

With that, Victoria slowly moved to gently brush her cheek over his with such a feather-light tentativeness that they were hardly touching at all. She heard his breath falter for a moment before he began to return the affection. Her eyes slid shut, and the clean, sharp scent of him enveloped her.

Pulling away, Mistoffelees’s gaze caught her’s. “What will you do now?” He asked.

Victoria hadn’t considered this. What would she do now, indeed? “What do most Jellicles do after the Ball?”

“Well,” Mistoffelees said, replacing his hat with a flourish, “that depends upon the Jellicle. For those that make their home on the streets, they usually return to one of our safe havens established throughout London. And for the ones with human families, they tend to rush back to their homes before they are missed.”

“Didn’t you say you have a family? Won’t you be missed?” Victoria wondered aloud.

“Oh no, I won’t be. I’m lucky; they let me come and go as I please, unlike cats like Jenny, who are generally expected to remain indoors. I’m mostly allowed to do as I like.”

“Well, that’s good,” Victoria stated. “I’d hate to keep you.”

“You may keep me as long as you like,” Mistoffelees said with a smile, after which his eyes grew large as he seemed to realize all the possible implications of his statement. After a beat, he cleared his throat and straightened his jacket with a swift downward pull before saying, “Well then... Probably best to get going.”

“To where?” Victoria questioned.

“Well, since you are at this moment without a human family to return to, perhaps it’s best for you to go back to the Egyptian. Munkustrap will be there tending to post-Ball affairs. We can talk to him about the next steps for you and how to best get you settled in comfortably.”

“We?”

This appeared to startle Mistoffelees. “I’m coming with you, if that’s all right with you of course,” he said, a little too quickly. “If it’s not all right and if you don’t want me to come then of course I will-”

“Mistoffelees.” Victoria laid a paw on his forearm, halting him. In a tone of voice she hoped sounded reassuring, she continued, “Of course I want you to come.”

A slow smile crept across Mistoffelees’s face. He reached to take her paw.

“Then let’s go. Your new life is waiting.”


	2. Chapter 2

To say that the Egyptian Theater was merely ‘abandoned’ would be a disservice. There was a certain melodic creak to the floorboards as they were tread upon, a sparkle of magic in the dust that filled the air. Anyone willing to open their eyes wide enough could see that the place positively crackled with enchantment. What lost stories haunted this great hall? What grand parties echoed in the rafters high above? Ghosts of the past seemed to shimmer in every shadow.

Victoria couldn’t help but feel a sense of kinship with the old building. ‘Abandoned’ had, not so very long ago, been how people might have described herself, had fate not so kindly stepped in. She, like this old theater, was more than what people saw at first glance. As she made her way down the entryway steps, the pleasant scent of old wood tickled her nose. The golden glow of the afternoon sunshine dripping in through the holes in the walls and ceilings gave the place an ethereal appearance. The ever-present dust in the air glittered and winked at her as it caught the light.

“Watch your step,” Mistoffelees said, pulling her out of her reverie with his paw upon hers as he guided her around a fallen beam.

The theater was beautiful, but dangerous, much like the life of a Jellicle, Victoria was learning. It threatened to collapse at any moment, but for the meantime, the vibrant reds, golds, and greens that greeted her merrily from every direction were exuberant enough to make one forget all that. 

Munkustrap was atop the dilapidated piano, a remnant of the hall’s former life. Beside him sat Cassandra, Demeter, and a striped brown tom. They appeared to be deep in conversation about something important, Munkustrap’s tail flicking back and forth with urgency.

Politely removing his hat, Mistoffelees waited for a moment before gently clearing his throat.

Munkustrap paused mid-sentence, mouth open, unspoken words still hanging upon his lips as he peered down at the pair. The hard look on his face was instantly replaced with a friendly grin.

“Well, if it isn’t Mister Mistoffelees! And Victoria, so lovely to see you. I had wondered where you had gotten off to, glad to see you are doing as well as I’d hoped.”

With that, he leapt from his spot on the piano, joining them on the floor. He took a step towards Victoria, taking both her paws in his and flashing her a warm smile that rivaled the glowing sunshine streaming into the hall.

“I am truly glad you have joined our ranks, Victoria.” His smile was absolutely beaming now. “Heaviside, you looked so scared and helpless when you were released from that pillowcase, I can only imagine what sort of-”

“Yes, well, I’m glad you all have so wholeheartedly accepted me,” Victoria said quickly, cutting him off. She hoped the smile she gave him didn’t seem too tainted by discomfort. Life before the Jellicles had not been pleasant to her, and she was wont to react negatively to mentions of it.

She took her thoughts back to the tom in front of her, who still held her paws in his with the utmost gentleness. As she shook off the cobwebbed memories, her smile became more genuine.

“Truly,” she continued, “I am so thankful to have new friends like you, Munkustrap.” She looked to the tuxedo tom on her left. “And you, Mistoffelees.” Her gaze then shifted to the top of the piano. “And you, Cassandra, and Demeter, and...”

A pregnant pause permeated the air as Victoria realized she could not remember the brown tom’s name. Munkustrap released her paws and looked on expectantly.

“Alonzo,” Mistoffelees whispered to her, perhaps a little too loudly.

Victoria glanced at Mistoffelees for a moment before apologetically looking up at the tom on the piano. “Alonzo.”

“Can’t be expected to remember everyone’s name after just a night. Let your worries go, kit,” Cassandra said, suddenly beside her on the floor.

Alonzo, thankfully, chuckled from his seat above them. “Yeah, it’s all right. There’s so many of us, half the time I don’t remember most anyone’s name either, ain’t that right, Dem?”

The gray queen next to him spoke. “You’d forget your own if it wasn’t printed on your collar.” A giggle escaped her lips.

Victoria let out the breath she had been holding. Her place here felt fragile, as if the tiniest slip-up would send her right back to that cold, dark pillowcase. She was relieved to see that her shortcoming seemed to be forgiven.

“So,” Cassandra said, tail curling around Victoria’s leg, “what can we do you for? Surely you didn’t come to participate in post-Ball logistics.”

Mistoffelees spoke up. “I brought Victoria back here to see if any of you could offer her advice on what do to next.” He stepped in closer to her and laid a paw on her shoulder.

“My, my, that’s awfully kind of you, Mistoffelees,” Cassandra crooned, a teasing lilt in her voice. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you-”

A loud cough escaped Munkustrap and he pushed Cassandra aside. Her eyes became slits as she eyed him before leaping back up onto the piano, situating herself next to Demeter. Victoria couldn’t help but notice the flush that tinged the tuxedo tom’s face as he let his paw drop from her shoulder.

“What to do indeed,” Munkustrap said, paw tapping against his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose Cass and Demeter here could show you the ins and outs of making your home out in the world.” He gestured back at the cats above them.

Cassandra, from her place on the piano, maintained a look of contempt as Munkustrap spoke, though her mask faltered for a moment when she gave Victoria a quick wink.

“Many of us queens live right here in the dressing rooms at the theater,” Demeter informed her. “We have many havens throughout London, but this one is extra-special because it’s the only one with mirrors.” At that, she theatrically gave her ear a haughty primp.

Alonzo, who had been rather quiet throughout this exchange, chimed in. “You think she’ll be safe enough here, Munk?”

As Munkustrap opened his mouth to speak, a sudden darkness overtook the theater, golden sunlight disappearing as quickly as though a light had been switched off. Through the darkness, a low, purring chuckle could be heard, seeming to emanate from the very air itself.

“Macavity,” Cassandra whispered.

Munkustrap immediately positioned himself protectively in front of Victoria, arms splayed out, ready to attack. Cassandra soundlessly jumped down onto the floor, scanning the area from down on her haunches. In the gripping blackness, Victoria found her paw winding its way into Mistoffelees’s. The dark again. She couldn’t stand it. Victoria felt her breath leave her as it enveloped them. Her ears were pasted flat against her skull. She squeezed Mistoffelees’s paw and moved to press her face into the front of his jacket, her other paw grabbing hold of it like a lifeline. She felt his other arm come around her as she shut her eyes tight.

A sudden silence fell, and the air grew very still. 

And then, a faint glow, small but growing. One of the lanterns within the theater began to illuminate, brighter, and brighter, and brighter until-

POP!

The lantern shattered, flinging glass in every direction, a shower of sparks spewing forth from its destroyed husk.

POP!

Another light, this time high above in the rafters, burst and rained down white-hot sparks upon the cats below.

Lights were beginning to shatter all over the theater now, and Munkustrap gave Mistoffelees a firm shove.

“Get her out of here, she’s not safe!” Victoria heard him exclaim above the deafening noise. His gaze darted this way and that, searching for their hidden adversary.

Mistoffelees wasted no time in following this direction, dragging Victoria along behind him as they fled the scene. They stopped for a moment to take refuge underneath the bar counter as another shower of sparks hailed down. Victoria struggled to control her breathing as she clung to Mistoffelees.

“What are they talking about, Mistoffelees? Why am I not safe, please tell me,” she begged.

Mistoffelees’s blue eyes bore into her as he searched for words in the chaos. “I-I-”

“GO!” Munkustrap bellowed over to them, dodging bits of glass.

Wordlessly, Mistoffelees reached down to take her paw once again, pulling her towards the closest way out, a small opening in the wall. They squeezed out, and were immediately blinded by the bright sunshine.

Mistoffelees did not once let go of her paw, and he continued leading them away from The Egyptian, ducking down alleyways and around corners as Victoria struggled to catch her breath.

“What about the others?” Victoria managed to squeeze out between gasps.

“They’ll be all right; Munk is the tribe’s protector, Cass helps him, and Alonzo and Demeter are protectors-in-training. They’ve all dealt with him before,” Mistoffelees assuaged, looking back at her.

Victoria felt a bit of relief at this, though worry still marred her features. “Where are we going?” She inquired breathlessly.

“My home,” Mistoffelees answered. “It’s just around the corner from here, we’ll be safe there, I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This all originally started as a oneshot, and now there's a plot. Oops.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Didn’t mean to disappear off the face of the earth, but obviously these are strange times.

There were a great many topics on which Victoria did not possess a wealth of knowledge. ‘Home’ was one of these. There had, until recently, been a place where she had lived, but it had been full of unkind words and cold actions, nothing like what Victoria imagined a home should be. Though she had no way of truly knowing, she assumed a home must be somewhere warm, somewhere safe. Somewhere where you were accepted and loved just as you are. Her time with the Jellicles, she thought, was probably she closest she had ever gotten, though an air of uncertainty still laced its way through her thoughts when she was among them. Regardless of Old Deuteronomy, Victoria couldn’t yet bring her mind to call herself a full-fledged Jellicle cat. Yet she was not a house cat, nor a stray. Just a lone, in-between cat who had had the good fortune of stumbling upon something much bigger than herself.

These were Victoria’s thoughts as Mistoffelees urgently pulled her down street after street. After a time, the run-down ruggedness of their surroundings softened, giving way to rows of cozy terrace houses with manicured gardens. It was at one such home, with orange brick and a small but stately willow tree squeezed into the yard, that they finally slowed and came to a stop. Her paw still held tight by Mistoffelees, she was led through the bars of the wrought iron gate. Gravel crunched beneath Victoria’s feet as she took in the sight of low hedges and bright, cheery tulips lining the brick walls of the yard. The willow, she now saw, had a stone garden bench nestled safely within the veil of its leaves.

Victoria softly pulled her paw out of Mistoffelees’s grip, bringing it to her chest as she paused to catch her breath.

“You live... Here?” She glanced around, mouth agape.

Mistoffelees removed his hat apologetically. “It’s nothing terribly fancy, but you’ll be-”

“No!” Victoria said, quickly. “This is... Beautiful,” she breathed.

Flowers and greenery were rare sights for Victoria. Her gray past had not exactly accommodated beauty, and she longed to grab every new instance of it and hold it tight in the hopes that it would ground her to this incredulous new life she found herself in. She took a slow, deep inhale and delighted in the freshness of the air. The sun hung low in the sky now, drenching the world in deep gold, and the shiny buttons on Mistoffelees’s jacket glinted at Victoria as he shifted his hat in his paws.

“We should get you inside,” he said, turning his attention to the sinking sun. “It’s getting to be dark, and you must be hungry.”

At his words, Victoria suddenly realized just how empty her stomach was. The last bit of food she had eaten had been ages ago, with Bustopher Jones. Mistoffelees had helped her then, too. She nodded politely and let him lead her up a wall, onto the roof, and through an open second-story window.

* * *

Victoria was, by now, no stranger to unfamiliar places, but the house held such a comfortable pleasantness that it hardly felt as though it was unfamiliar at all. The room they had entered into appeared to be a den or a study of sorts, with grand bookcases stuffed with heavy leather tomes. Two brocade armchairs flanked either side of a small, but ornately carved fireplace, which itself was topped with trinkets and baubles of all sorts. A basket containing an overlarge cushion, appropriately sized for a cat, Victoria noted, had been placed near the hearth. The whole room glowed merrily from the fire Mistoffelees had lit with a twist of his wand.

Mistoffelees had instructed Victoria to stay here, out of sight of the humans for now, while he fetched something to eat. She had been more than happy to oblige. It was settled upon one of the armchairs, splayed out on her stomach and purring contentedly, that Mistoffelees found her when he returned.

“Well,” he chuckled, “made yourself quite at home already, haven’t you? Good.” He leapt up to join her on the chair, whereupon he swept off his hat, not forgetting a flourish, and set it beside him fondly.

“I’ve only just now caught my breath,” Victoria admitted, sitting up. “I don’t know if I’ve ever run so far, so quickly.”

“Here, have some,” Mistoffelees prompted her, unwrapping a handkerchief to reveal a bit of roast pheasant and holding it out to her cordially.

Victoria accepted the proffered victual, taking it delicately with both paws and eating with small, dainty bites. She chewed slowly, and a quiet peace eased its way over them. Given a moment to reflect, Victoria began to turn the day’s events over in her mind, some cheerful, some... Frightful.

She swallowed. “Mistoffelees...”

“Yes?”

“Why...” Victoria paused, afraid to continue, to hear what the answer might be. After taking a breath, she went on. “Why did Macavity...”

Mistoffelees tensed. Tearing his gaze from her to focus squarely upon on his own lap, he began to stutter. “Ah- Well- You see-” His paws waved about as though he was attempting to grasp onto a proper response.

Victoria set the pheasant down beside her and reached over to rest a paw on Mistoffelees’s arm, halting its movement. “Mistoffelees... Please,” she said with imploring eyes.

Mistoffelees sighed, shoulders sagging. He brought his eyes back up and turned to face her. “Munk should be the one telling you this, he’s so much better at these sorts of things...” He trailed off for a moment before shaking his head dismissively. “Right, well... After Munkustrap and I left you with Old Deuteronomy, we returned to the Egyptian, as I mentioned before. We got to discussing the events of the Ball when we both came upon the same worrying realization. Victoria... You helped me find the confidence to bring Deuteronomy back.”

Victoria knew this, of course, though she might not have given herself quite so much credit. A quizzical look must have appeared on her face, for Mistoffelees quickly continued.

“I- I never would have even thought of doing what I did if you hadn’t been there to suggest it. And then you helped me to tap into my powers...”

It was Victoria’s turn to tense. Her paw dropped from his arm and a sinking feeling began churning in the pit of her stomach as he went on.

“Victoria, you and I both defied Macavity. He had plans to force Deuteronomy to choose him last night, and I impeded those plans, with your help. I’m not going to lie to you: he knows it was us, this afternoon confirms it. You know he’d do anything or hurt anyone to... Bast, Victoria, I told you I’m no good at these things, if Munkustrap were here, he’d-”

Mistoffelees stopped himself, looking defeated at the fearful expression painting itself across Victoria’s face. He let out a breath before continuing. “I’m sorry if I’m troubling you. I don’t mean to. I’ve always been a bit rubbish when it comes to words. But just know that when I said we would all take care of you, I meant it.” His eyes left hers once more. “When you didn’t return to the theater, I ran back to Trafalgar Square to make sure you were safe.”

His admission brought some solace to Victoria, and she managed to muster a tiny smile. Her life had always been small, devoid of much meaning. Words like his were, until so very recently, unthinkable to her. Safety, comfort, friendship... These were still such new, foreign concepts to Victoria. “Thank you, Mistoffelees,” she said. “I’ll never understand why you’re so kind to me.”

At this, Mistoffelees glanced back at her. “What do you mean?”

“Oh! Well, I just...” Victoria abruptly turned to look away. A silence settled between them and a few moments slipped past before she gave an answer. “I don’t see why you bother. You treat me as though I’m someone important, when I’m no one really.”

Mistoffelees hesitated for a few instants. He seemed to be carefully deliberating, mulling over her words before choosing his own in reply. “Victoria that’s...” His head shook just slightly, disbelievingly.

Victoria continued. “I’m not special, I come from nothing. Nobody from nowhere.”

Mistoffelees looked a bit lost, adrift in an unsure sea. A few beats passed and a shaky breath escaped him before he seemed to find his footing. “You’re not ‘no one’, you’re... You’re goodhearted, a-and brave, and beautiful, you see the best in everyone... You’re... _Victoria_.” A pause. Victoria turned. “And you deserve kindness as much as anyone.”

Victoria stared. A million responses flew through her head, but none of them seemed to be the correct one. Barring the last twenty-four hours or so, thus far Victoria’s time on Earth had been more of an existence than a life, a joyless husk of a thing that had often caused her to question why she had been chosen to be born into it. She had eventually reasoned that, in one way or another, she must have somehow deserved it, and up until now, she had completely convinced herself of that.

Lost for words was something Victoria had rarely been in her young life, but following Mistoffelees’s validation, she found herself suddenly quite unable to speak. No one had ever said anything like that to her. She had no prior experiences from which to draw a response. Her words had run dry, but her eyes, she could feel, were damp.

With words gone, actions took over and Victoria moved closer to him, dropping her head to run her cheek slowly over the front of his shoulder. Her eyes slid shut and a solitary tear glided down her face. Mistoffelees sucked in a breath and returned the gesture, leaning to gently rest the side of his head against the top of hers as she settled into him. More than a few peaceful moments fell away like that, the two nestled against one another.

Victoria languidly opened her eyes, finding that her face was mere inches from Mistoffelees’s. She shifted slightly to look up at him and his eyes held hers for a moment, crinkling when an ingenuous smile played at the corners of his mouth for an instant. For a brief moment, her gaze flickered down to his slightly parted lips, and she was suddenly and altogether extremely aware of their closeness. She could feel his steady, warm breaths tickling her face. His blue eyes were dark in the firelight. With an unconscious automaticness, her head slowly tilted up towards his-

The fireplace suddenly gave a loud crackle and they jolted apart at the noise. Mistoffelees backed into his hat, toppling it over and sending it rolling across the floor. He unceremoniously slipped down off the chair and bounded off after it, leaving Victoria to process what, exactly, had just occurred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sat on this one for a while, sorry guys.
> 
> Also wow if you told me in 2019 that in 2020 I’d be writing romantic fanfiction for Cats (2019) I would have never believed you, but hey, here we are.


	4. Chapter 4

Sleep was beginning to release its grasp on Victoria, though she fought to hold onto the fleeting whispers of slumber, burying her face deeper into the pillow she lay upon. The soft fabric had a familiar scent to it, though Victoria was not quite able to place it. Whatever it was, it brought comfort to her all the same. Determinedly ignoring the tugging of the waking world, she remained still, until, at last, feeling the sands of sleep slipping away, she relented to the calls of the new day and let her eyelids drift open.

Blearily, she examined her surroundings as they came into focus. Crowded bookshelves peered down at her. An elegant vase sat on a small table. The remnants of a fire could be seen in the fireplace she found herself next to. On top of one of the two brocade chairs in the room, a shining something caught the light of the sun that was streaming in through the lace curtains over the open window. Mistoffelees’s top hat.

Mistoffelees had offered her the basket by the fire for the night, himself taking up residence on the seat of the closer armchair. To Victoria, when he was perched high above her, he had looked akin to a sentinel of some kind, keeping watch over her as they had both drifted off into sleep’s warm embrace. Rising from her place by the fire, Victoria saw that it was an embrace that Mistoffelees was still very much within, it seemed. He lay curled up, back rising and falling as steady breaths whooshed in and out. His magician’s jacket was neatly folded beside him, its matching hat set atop it.

For just a moment, Victoria, ever-curious, indulged in studying his sleeping form. When he was awake, Mistoffelees was all nerves, a tight bundle of anxious energy, but in sleep, his limbs were relaxed and his face held a peaceful expression. Victoria hadn’t known him long, of course, but she didn’t think she had ever seen him this serene. He looked... Younger, if that were possible, and perhaps more confident.

“Look at that, like a little kitten,” a voice said suddenly from the direction of the window, clucking its tongue disapprovingly.

Victoria wheeled around to find Cassandra stepping down from the sill. How long had she been there? She was followed closely by Munkustrap, sauntering in behind her, his bright silver fur dazzling in the morning light. The pair deftly made their way down to the floor before moving to join Victoria.

“Oi, Misto!” Cassandra shouted up to the sleeping figure on the chair.

Mistoffelees suddenly shot up with a strangled noise of surprise.

“Cass!” Munkustrap hissed, eyes shooting daggers as he whipped his head around to admonish her, a fruitless effort by that time. Cassandra flashed him a smirk.

“Terribly sorry, Misto,” he said, casting a sideways glare at the brown queen. “We normally wouldn’t bother so early in the morning, but after yesterday...” He trailed off. “Do you have a moment to chat?”

Mistoffelees squinted, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He drowsily opened his mouth to give an answer, but Cassandra elected to do it for him.

“Of course he does, probably would have snoozed ‘til noon if not for us.” She concluded the sentence with a chuckle that to Victoria sounded a bit knowing.

“It’s nice to see you both,” Victoria interjected politely.

Munkustrap’s demeanor seemed to change as he remembered the white queen beside him, and he gave her a genial smile. “And you,” he said, moving to run his head just once over her upper arm, tail just brushing her leg. “I’ll admit, it does my heart good to see you safe after the unpleasantness yesterday.”

The Jellicle tribe’s protector emanated a kind of warm strength that made Victoria feel at ease in any situation. There was an instinctual goodness to him, and a protective lawfulness. His presence always seemed to allay her fears, and she felt a sense of calm wash over her at his touch.

“Unpleasantness,” Cassandra scoffed. “Don’t be so diplomatic, Munkustrap, someone could have gotten hurt. We’re lucky Macavity stopped his assault and disappeared when these two ran. We spent half the night securing everyone’s safety even after the attack was cut short.”

An acknowledging sigh came from Munkustrap. “Which is why we’re here.” He glanced from Victoria up to Mistoffelees on the chair. “Now that we know you’re both all right, we need to discuss how to proceed from here.”

Mistoffelees, now entirely awake, nodded in agreement from his place above the rest of the group. “Right.” He pulled on his jacket and set his hat upon his head. The floorboards creaked beneath his feet when he jumped down to join the other three. “Any ideas?”

“A few,” Munkustrap replied, before refocusing his attention on the young queen next to him. “Victoria, if it’s all right, I’d like to discuss matters with Mistoffelees in private, for now. I wouldn’t want to worry you with any speculation. Cassandra, would you mind keeping her company?”

Cassandra opened her mouth to object, but seemed to think better of it. “Of course. But if that’s all you brought me here for, to be entertainment, you’ll be right sorry for it.”

“I knew I could count on you.” Munkustrap winked. “I’ll fill you in on the details later.”

* * *

As it so happened, Victoria was still very much a stranger in Mistoffelees’s household, having only visited the front garden and the single room where Munkustrap and Mistoffelees were now conversing. And so, she and Cassandra found themselves outside, once more among the tulips and greenery Victoria had so admired yesterday. Close to the front door, there was a small white wrought iron table and a set of matching chairs. The table was warm from the sun, and the two queens had settled quite comfortably upon it.

Cassandra’s tail flicked anxiously back and forth as the pair sat in silence. She was a mystery to Victoria, so different from her in seemingly every way. Where Victoria was docile and quiet, Cassandra was fierce and outspoken. Her actions were wholly unpredictable, often switching at breakneck speed between derisive and protective, and Victoria was never sure which to expect in any situation.

When the silence between them had lasted a longer amount of time than it perhaps should have, Victoria spoke.

“Cassandra?”

“Hm?” Cassandra hummed, low.

“Could you tell me, how did you come about protecting the tribe with Munkustrap?” 

It was a question that Victoria had been pondering over in the back of her mind since learning Cassandra’s true position in the tribe the previous day. It was obvious to her why someone like Munkustrap would be in a protecting role; his natural righteousness and goodwill made him suited for nothing better, but Cassandra... Cassandra possessed a hardened outer shell, and often came across as combative.

Cassandra raised a brow at her in response before she acquiesced. 

“I was abandoned, just as you were,” she said so plainly that, had Victoria not been intently listening, she might have missed the confession altogether.

Following Victoria’s incredulous silence, Cassandra continued.

“About three years past now. The couple I lived with had a baby, and decided that their home was no longer a place for a cat. Simple as that. Wandered the streets for weeks. It was hard, not knowing how to hunt or where to seek safe shelter. Sparing you of some of the grittier details, Munkustrap and the others eventually found me and brought me to Deuteronomy.” She paused and seemed to drift off into a bygone memory for just a moment. “I knew even then that they had likely saved my life. So I swore mine to protecting theirs.”

“I’m... Sorry,” was the only thing Victoria, shocked by this revelation, could think to say.

“Not your fault.” Cassandra eyed her. “And it’s not your fault about your own abandonment, either. I haven’t missed that look in your eye whenever it comes up. Don’t beat yourself up over it, you’ve got to learn to let the ghosts of the past go. Because in the end, that’s all they are. Ghosts. Focus on what’s real and what you can influence; start looking towards the future.” Her expression softened. “You’ve got a rather bright one, I’d say.”

The corners of Victoria’s lips turned up. “Do you think so?”

“I do.” Cassandra returned the smile, a rare sight to see upon her usually stern face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve actually got to be going. I know Munk set me to the task of babysitting,” at this she rolled her eyes, “but you’re capable of taking care of yourself, I trust. It’s safe here, and I’ve got some business to attend to with Alonzo. Anyway, I’m sure those two are probably done chatting by now, Munkustrap’s not one to mince words.” She nodded up towards the window in indication.

Victoria’s eyes followed Cassandra as she leapt from the table up to the top of the garden wall.

Turning back to face Victoria, she said, “You needn’t worry, I’m sure those boys are planning to do everything in their power to protect you, Misto especially. He seems to care pretty deeply about your safety, if you know what I mean.”

“I... Don’t.”

Cassandra gave an exasperated sigh, punctuated with a fond smile. “You’re a green one, you know that, kit? There’s a pretty clear picture painted in the way he looks at you.”

Victoria knitted her brow. “What way is that?”

“Like you are every star in the sky.”

* * *

To be safe, once Cassandra had bid her farewell, Victoria had taken an extra bit of time sunning herself out in the garden. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun’s rays and had lain stretched out for a few minutes, breathing in the perfumed air as she contemplated Cassandra’s words and their meaning. If they were true, then that meant... Victoria couldn’t help but smile, feeling as though she were on the brink of something wonderful beginning. An anxious hope fluttered through her. Hope was a novel new concept to her, and she reveled in the feeling of it. Once what felt like a satisfactory amount of time had passed, she rose to begin making her way back up to Mistoffelees and Munkustrap.

Now upon the small jutting of roof that stood between the first and second stories of the house, Victoria was faced with a challenge. Two identical open windows rested in the wall above her, and she found she had quite forgotten which she had exited out of. They were just a bit too far up to really see into, and so, there was a choice to be made. Victoria chose the left.

It was the wrong choice. From the windowsill, she saw that this room was a bedroom, with a quilted bed and a small writing desk against the left wall. Rather than withdrawing from the room, some cheeky part of Victoria compelled her to venture further within, eager to explore. She jumped soundlessly down onto the Persian rug and padded to the doorway, looking this way and that as she took in this new room.

Out in the hallway, she turned to her right and saw, just a few feet away, the door that must have led to the study. It appeared to be open, and so she started off in that direction. She was just about to breach the frame when her ears perked at the sound of Munkustrap’s voice.

“And this is all permissible to you?”

“Of course. I’d do anything to keep her safe,” Mistoffelees answered.

Munkustrap had wanted their conversation to be private. Everything in Victoria told her to turn and leave, but she remained firmly rooted to her spot in the doorway, unable to advance in any direction.

She could just see them through the small gap between the door and the frame, standing just a few feet away. Munkustrap had a heuristic look on his face, and Mistoffelees’s wore one of concern. The former was quiet for a moment, examining the tom in front of him, searching his face for something Victoria was not sure of.

“You should tell her,” he said at last.

Mistoffelees frowned. “Tell her what?”

“I know you, Misto,” Munkustrap sighed, placing a paw on the other cat’s shoulder. “Since you were a tiny kit, I have known you. How do you expect to be honest with her when you can’t even be honest with yourself?”

“I’m quite sure I don’t know what you’re-”

Munkustrap cut him off with some severity. “Please,” he said. “Mister Mistoffelees, you have feelings for her, and you had better tell her so before someone else does.” His voice softened. “She’s a pretty thing, and brave. Kind. Don’t think you are the only tom who noticed.”

Victoria didn’t miss the flustered look on Mistoffelees’s face before he said, “Munk, I... You’ve got it wrong, she just needed someone to take care of her. I’m only helping her find her way in the world, like she helped me. That’s all.”

And so that was that. The small bubble of hope deep within Victoria burst. Munkustrap wet his lips to speak, but before he could issue a reply, a betraying floorboard beneath Victoria gave a loud creak under her shifting weight. The two toms turned their attention to where she stood in the doorway, and she quickly bolted away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think 2019 Cass is a super interesting character. Fierce and antagonistic, but also super loyal and protective. Cassandra also to me seems as though she likes to tease Mistoffelees not out of any malice, but more because that’s one of the ways she shows affection, and she loves Misto like a bumbling little brother.
> 
> Tiny bit of Munktoria happening in this chapter. Hm.


	5. Chapter 5

“Like you are every star in the sky.”

Cassandra’s words rang in Victoria’s ears, rising like foam to the top of the whirlpool of thoughts swirling viciously through her head as she climbed to the roof. She felt foolish. Foolish for eavesdropping, foolish for getting caught, foolish for being naive. She had thought that the last few days’ happenings had made certain, unspoken things quite clear, bolstered by what Cassandra had told her, but now nothing seemed to make sense. Cassandra had been mistaken of course, what could she truly know of such things? For that matter, what did Victoria know? She’d seen and experienced so little of the world, who was she to make assumptions about anything?

Balanced carefully on a corner of the roof, Victoria raised her head to the sky, watching fleecy clouds surge through the expanse of blue like so many ships on the sea. She thought on the times she had shared what she had naively interpreted to be moments of some intimacy with the tuxedo cat downstairs, and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. Regardless of anything she had believed, to him she was some delicate thing that needed constant, piteous care, and that, she now saw, was how things truly were, and had been. He’d probably only added in the bit about her helping him to be modest, or polite. It had only been just the once, and even then, it had only been after he had already firmly established his role in her caretaking.

Victoria was, of course, happy to finally have friends who cared for her, but the whiplash of the past few minutes made it quite hard for to appreciate this thought fully. Her thoughts fought each other and she no longer knew what she should believe. Mistoffelees’s talk of deserving kindness had certainly been true, but he hadn’t meant it in the way she had interpreted. She had hoped that maybe...

She shook her head. He must have seen taking care of her as some sort of obligation, a testament to his kind and gentle nature. 

The roof’s shingles were rough beneath Victoria’s tightening grip. She didn’t want to be anyone’s obligation. Anyone’s burden. Being a burden was what had landed her on the streets to begin with. She knew from experience that, after a time, hospitality diminished and was replaced by resentment, and she couldn’t bear the thought of the cycle beginning all over again, with Mistoffelees or Munkustrap or any of the Jellicles.

A jolt of surprise coursed through her body as the aforementioned magical cat abruptly appeared beside her in a puff of light blue smoke.

“Victoria!” Mistoffelees noticed her shocked expression. “Victoria?”

Victoria had set a paw to the heart beating wildly in her chest at his sudden arrival. A few stray wisps of blue fluttered about him before vanishing completely.

She let out a breath. “I’d forgotten you can do that.”

“Oh!” He quickly reached up to remove his hat in apology. “Sorry, didn’t mean to cause a fright. Don’t worry, I won’t be doing it again for some time; takes a bit out of me to do it just the once, you see.” A halfhearted smile, and the hat went back onto his head. “Is everything all right? Were you coming to tell us something? Where’s Cassandra?”

Victoria puzzled over how to explain her intrusion. Thankfully, it seemed as though Mistoffelees didn’t suspect she had overheard his words.

“Cassandra had some business elsewhere, and I thought you two had finished. I’m sorry for disturbing you, I know Munkustrap wanted to speak privately. I didn’t hear anything.”

Lying put a bitter taste into Victoria’s mouth, but she couldn’t tell him what she had heard the two toms discussing. She went on.

“I have been thinking, though. You and Munkustrap and everyone... You’ve been taking care of me ever since I was tossed into that junkyard. I’m so thankful to you all, but you don’t need to feel as though you must keep on helping me, really.” She feebly attempted a smile. “I’m no one to be fussed over, I’ll be all right to handle things on my own, I’ll be able to keep myself safe.”

A strong gust of wind blew between them as Victoria shifted and began rising to leave. She could feel the hot sting of tears in her eyes once again, threatening to brim over at any moment.

Mistoffelees caught her by the paw and she turned to see a perplexed look spreading across his features.

“What in Heaviside did Cass say to you?”  
  
He seemed to realize how he had grabbed her and sheepishly released his hold on her almost as quickly as he had begun it.

Victoria sighed and took her seat once more.

“Nothing.” Her eyes caught his. _Every star in the sky._ “She was quite lovely to me, actually. I just— I don’t know, I feel like I’m a burden to you and everyone, and that’s the last thing I want to be. You’re very kind, but please don’t feel like you must keep helping me, I can handle things on my own, truly,” she repeated. She felt the warm release of a tear gliding over her cheek, swiftly joined by a downrush of others. She had to prove that she wouldn’t be an encumbrance. She couldn’t lose this.

Through her tears, Victoria saw something in Mistoffelees’s eyes that she couldn’t recognize.

“I know you can,” he said softly. “I don’t help you because I think you need it, I do it because...” He turned his gaze towards a few dark clouds that were brewing on the horizon, voice going small. “Because I want to. Because I want to be there for you, even if you don’t need me. Because...”

There was a rumble of thunder in the distance that nearly masked his words before he trailed off, but Victoria heard them just the same. It was a comfort to know that, whatever it was between them, he still did seem to hold at least as much regard for her as she did for him. Even if it wasn’t in the same sort of way, Mistoffelees certainly seemed to care for her, in one way or another, and she was glad for it. Having others care for her was something Victoria used to only dream of, and she was happy to have someone like Mistoffelees in this new life she found herself in, no matter his role.

She made no move to reply, just sat and looked on. Her tears were slowing now.

Mistoffelees turned back toward her and said, gently, “Please don’t cry.” He thought a moment. “Hang on...”

He flipped his top hat off of his head and stuck an arm into it, face screwed up in concentration. 

“Aha!” He said after a moment. As he retracted his paw, the corner of a large white silk handkerchief could be seen poking out between his thumb and forefinger. He appeared to fumble with it and said, “Just a moment, I think it’s caught on something.” 

Mistoffelees gave the handkerchief a sharp pull and it flowed out of the hat, out of his hands, and over their heads, followed by a green handkerchief, and a red handkerchief, and a blue handkerchief, and more handkerchiefs, all tied together in a continuous rope.

“Oh, Bast, not that one!” Mistoffelees gasped, looking up in dismay.

Victoria’s head followed the stream of colored handkerchiefs as it arced over them before coming to rest draped over her shoulder.

The two stared at each other, Victoria’s face stained with tears and Mistoffelees’s eyes wide in mortification. Just then, a smile crossed Victoria’s face. She began to laugh. A full, earnest laugh. Then, peals of laughter. The tinge of embarrassment left Mistoffelees’s face and was replaced with a smile, and he joined in with a few chuckles of his own.

They laughed together, Victoria, in her mirth, doubling over and leaning in to Mistoffelees as he wound the handkerchief rope around his paw before placing it back inside his hat.

Victoria’s giggles eventually subsided and she sighed in contentment, chest heaving as her breath returned to her. There were now only inches between the two of them, and Mistoffelees gave her a lopsided grin. His gaze held Victoria’s, and, after a moment of what seemed like hesitation, he leaned in to press his forehead against hers.

“It’s true, you know,” he breathed. “From now on, I want to always be there for you. I—”

He was cut off by a loud crash of thunder, and Victoria pulled back, suddenly keenly aware of the gray darkness that had descended around them. Mistoffelees rose to his feet, hat in paw. Politely, he held out his other paw to help Victoria up, and she accepted, resting her own paw delicately within his.

Mistoffelees’s fingers curled around hers and he said, “Come on, we’d best be getting inside before it starts to—”

He was interrupted a second time by a fat raindrop falling directly onto his nose. As he looked to the sky in surprise, Victoria felt a drop on her shoulder, and another on the tip of her ear. The drops began to rapidly increase their cadence until the silvery streams of a midday shower came down all around them.

Sheets of rain began to pelt the rooftop as Mistoffelees pulled Victoria to her feet. He took a step back to steady himself, but lost his footing, slipping on the now-slick shingles beneath them and throwing himself off balance. He lurched suddenly backwards, teetering precariously over the edge of the roof.

“Misto!” Victoria caught his paw and pulled firmly. Though Mistoffelees was a slight cat, he was still a fair bit larger than Victoria, but she managed to find enough strength to pull him away from the edge, holding him tightly against herself.

They stood face to face, gripping each other breathlessly as rain fell about them in shimmering cascades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was going to be a bit longer, but I kept re-writing the next scene and I just wanted to get a chapter out for everyone! So that scene will now be the beginning of the next chapter. Thank you for all your patience!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am back after a long time away! Thank you to all who left kind comments in my absence (and to those who left them before)! Admittedly I have had 75% of this chapter written for quite a while, but I am an overthinking perfectionist who can never just let things be. Thank you all for your patience!

The rain did not subside all afternoon. In fact, the storm seemed to grow fiercer with each passing hour, beating down over London as though wreaking vengeance for some unknown offense. Rain battered the window in the study, and a cacophony of thunder echoed outside. Sharp flashes of lightning streaked across the sky, bleaching the world an eerie white for a few fleeting moments at a time. She was not a skittish sort of cat, but Victoria had never much cared for storms or thunder. Much too erratic, too unpredictable and, often—as this particular storm was proving—violent. In the midst of the maelstrom outside, she was all too appreciative to have a warm, dry place to abide in for the time being.

After grooming dry, Victoria had made herself comfortable, nestled within the warm safety of the basket by the hearth, now pleasantly crackling with a small fire. Mistoffelees lounged close by on a green velvet pillow borrowed from one of the armchairs. He was without his hat and jacket, having hung them carefully on the iron fireplace fender to dry. Dazedly fixated on watching the steady drip, drip, drip of the wet garments, Victoria could feel her eyelids grow heavy and she was very nearly coaxed into a late afternoon nap.

Breaking her trance with a shake of her head, she rolled over to face Mistoffelees, who lay upon his back with his paws rested on his stomach. His head was nearest to her, and he had one leg bent, with the other crossed over top, foot tapping in the air with a certain restless quality. He appeared to be focused very intently on something on the molded ceiling above them, though Victoria followed his gaze and could find nothing of particular interest. After one last glance upwards to be sure, Victoria leaned out of the basket to look down at Mistoffelees and spoke.

“Were you going to tell me?”

Mistoffelees started for an instant at her sudden inquiry, snapping out of whatever reverie he had been in. From the pillow, he tilted his head upwards to meet her gaze, upside-down.

“Tell you?” He queried back, and artlessly flipped himself over, his wondering face now the proper orientation. “Tell you what?”

“What you and Munkustrap discussed.”

“W-what we-”

From his sputtering, Victoria knew that his mind had gone to the part of their conversation that she had already heard, and would rather not hear again, and so she elaborated.

“About keeping safe? About... Macavity?”

His ears perked in understanding, and, likely, relief.

“Oh, right.”

Mistoffelees twisted round and settled back into his previous position, upside-down eyes fixing on Victoria. Cassandra had been right about one thing, he really was quite akin to a kitten at times. It was endearing, Victoria decided.

“Well, Munk thinks it’s best that I - rather, that you - no, we?” Mistoffelees stammered.

“Mistoffelees?”

“Munkwantsyoutostaywithme.” The words fell out of his mouth in a jumbled mess. Bashfully, he cleared his throat and repeated himself, slower this time, more careful, and perhaps a tad deeper. “Munkustrap wants you to stay with me. For just a while at least. Lay low a bit, until we can come up with something better or until all this blows over. Macavity will probably move on to other things, new plans—he always does, he’s quite fickle, really—but until then, it’s safest to stay in a place with humans around, since he tends to avoid them. And if we go anywhere, Munk thinks you’ll be safest if I’m there to accompany you, since I’m the only other cat with magic. But of course if you don’t want to, I wholly understand, we can figure out something else, my magic is nothing compared to— Why would you want to—”

Victoria admittedly stopped listening for a moment, letting Mistoffelees ramble as she mulled this prospect over. Stay here? Thinking on it, she supposed it was a practical solution for now, especially seeing as she had nowhere else to go. It might be nice to be a house cat here, if only for a short time. Mistoffelees’s home seemed perfectly pleasant, and she certainly found it agreeable not to be alone. She knew without a doubt that she would be safe with him.

“—so if you don’t think it’s a good idea then of course we can—”

Victoria cut in. “That sounds wonderful.”

“—more suitable—” Mistoffelees stopped mid-sentence, wide blue eyes staring up at her. “Really?”

Victoria smiled. “Of course. Seems like the most sensible thing to do, actually.”

Mistoffelees rolled off of the pillow and knelt beside the basket, taking one of her paws in both of his. In spite of herself, Victoria felt a betraying rush of warmth in her cheeks.

“I’m going to do my best to protect you, Victoria,” Mistoffelees vowed. His voice sounded stronger and more confident than usual. He appeared to think for a moment and added, “And you won’t be a burden. I _want_ to do this for you, I meant what I said.”

Victoria’s lips turned up in a smile. Mistoffelees gently released his hold on her and sat on the floor beside the basket. A comfortable stillness settled between them, despite the turbulent storm outside. In the basket, Victoria nestled down into the pillow, letting the cozy calm of the snapping, crackling fire lull her into a sense of sleepy peace.

Just then, the tranquility was violently interrupted by a powerful gust of wind bursting the window open and rushing into the room. The lace curtains billowed and snapped about in the strong breeze, thrashing obstinately against this new adversary, and the flames in the fireplace were quickly extinguished. Though it was only late afternoon, the room was plunged into darkness with the gloom of the thunderstorm that raged outside.

Startled by the sudden upheaval, Victoria sprang from the basket. She leapt instinctively towards Mistoffelees, nearly knocking him over where he sat, pressing her face into his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around his middle.

Macavity! Shouldn’t she have been safe here? What if Munkustrap had been wrong? Darkness surrounded Victoria once again. Unbearable, uncertain darkness. She felt as though it might completely engulf her at any moment. Mistoffelees’s arms hesitantly closed around her and she buried her face deeper, soft whimpers muffled by his fur.

The dying breeze whistled through the room as she clung to Mistoffelees. He brought a hesitant paw to the back of her head and stroked her fur reassuringly.

“Victoria,” he murmured. “It’s all right, it was just the wind. Don’t worry. You’re safe. I promise.”

Victoria pulled away from him slightly. She couldn’t see his face in the dim light, but his words consoled her, although her breaths were still coming in shallow gasps. With Victoria’s arms still secured unyieldingly around him, Mistoffelees let his own fall from her and he moved slightly to grab his hat from the nearby fireplace fender, pulling his wand from somewhere within it. With a wave of the wand, the window shut itself and the wind halted its barrage. He aimed another wave at the fireplace, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Logs must be wet,” he mumbled, before hiding the wand away in his hat and hanging it once more upon the fender.

Victoria’s hold on him loosened. Her sense fluttered back to her in a heady rush, and she briskly removed her arms from about his waist, trying her best not to let him see her embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” she said, seated beside him on the floor. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No!” Mistoffelees asserted, too quickly. His eyes softened, and he said, “Not at all. But are you all right, Victoria? You seem quite startled.”

Victoria turned her gaze to the floor. Her eyes had adjusted to the dimness of the room, but the inky uneasiness of being in the dark still pulled at the corners of Victoria’s mind.

“I thought it was Macavity. Silly, really. But thank you. You’re always saving me.”

“What are you on about?” Mistoffelees chuckled, nudging her arm affectionately with his elbow. “You’ve saved me loads of times. The roof, for example.” His eyes glanced briefly upward on the word ‘roof’. 

“You called me Misto,” he added, quietly.

“What?” Victoria asked, only half hearing.

“Earlier, on the roof. You’ve never called me that before.”

Victoria felt her cheeks flush again in realization. “Oh, Mistoffelees, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be r-”

“No, no, it was... Nice, actually,” said Mistoffelees, fidgeting with his bow tie. “Not a lot of cats call me that outside of Munk and Cass.” A beat. He placed his paws flat on the floor and scooted himself closer to her. “Have you got a nickname, then? It’s only fair.”

“I haven’t.” Victoria bit her lip. “And I haven’t got the two other names, either. I’m just Victoria,” she said sadly, bringing her knees up to her chest.

“Nothing wrong with that! I rather like Just Victoria, she’s lovely.”

Victoria couldn’t help the slight upturn of her lips and the rush of warmth that surged through her body at his statement. Before she lost her nerve, she moved sideways to close the gap between them and leaned the side of her arm into his, running her head over his shoulder before letting it rest there. She felt his weight shift as he leaned back into her.

“Thank you,” Victoria murmured.

“For what?”

“For... Liking me. For letting me stay with you. For wanting to be with me.”

Mistoffelees looked unsure of what his response to this should be, his kitten eyes darting back and forth in contemplation. “Um, you’re welcome, but—”

Victoria saw his confusion. “I haven’t always been liked or wanted.” She shrugged against him. “You saw what happened to me in the junkyard. Tossed away like rubbish, trapped in that dark pillowcase.”

Mistoffelees blinked slowly and thought for a moment, mouth open in a half-crafted reply. “Maybe...” He paused, and looked away. “Maybe it was for the best.”

Victoria found herself unsure of his meaning. Best that she had been abandoned, thrown out like she was nothing? She shook these thoughts out of her head and let him finish.

“I mean - I won’t ask you to share details of what your life was like before, and I won’t pretend to know, but don’t you suppose you’re much better off now, with the Jellicles? With... Me?”

He was right. Victoria knew he was. It had been just a few days, but these few days had transformed her world completely. She tightened her grip around her knees.

“I suppose,” she said thoughtfully. “Things are much different for me now, and I _am_ grateful.”

Victoria watched as Mistoffelees reached an arm across to take her paw in his. “I’m grateful too,” he said, gaze fixated on their intertwined fingers. In the darkness, it was difficult to make out his face, but Victoria could feel his pulse quicken. Behind her, she felt his tail find hers and hesitantly curl around it.

“I’m grateful because it brought you into our lives.” He swallowed nervously. “My life.”

Victoria was still only beginning to build knowledge on friendships. Any sort of relationship, in fact, was new territory to Victoria. It felt instinctually strange for friends to act this way, but until a few scant days ago, Victoria had barely had any interaction with other cats at all. She had no place to judge what the actions of others truly meant, no compass for propriety. Maybe this was friendship in the Jellicle tribe. And so, although it seemed to her an odd way for friends to behave, with no proper basis for her actions, she did the first thing that came to mind in reply and pressed her lips to his cheek.

In the darkness, Mistoffelees jumped at the sudden slight pressure, but did not move away. Victoria heard him inhale sharply through his nose, and his fingers tightened around hers. She pulled away slowly and his head turned, his blue gaze meeting her deep brown. His mouth hung slightly open. Neither of them spoke as the gravity of the moment settled around them. From inches away, Victoria could feel Mistoffelees’s breath breaking like warm waves across her cheeks. She was thankful for the pattering of rain on the window, for she was sure that without it he would be able to hear her wildly beating heart.

“Victoria, I—”

"Mistoffelees—”

Both of their mouths snapped shut as their overlapping words broke the quiet in the same moment. A stunned silence followed, as if each was unspokenly allowing the other time to voice their thoughts, but neither acquiesced. Following this brief pause, Mistoffelees’s face broke into a laughing grin and Victoria found herself giggling along with him.

“Sorry,” Mistoffelees said between chuckles, “what were you going to say?”

Victoria smiled and waved a paw in front of her face. “Nothing, nothing. And you?”

A low laugh. “Also nothing.”

Victoria gave him a fond, narrow-eyed smile, which, quite beyond her control, evolved into a rather powerful yawn.

* * *

The soft rumbles of thunder that had lulled Victoria into a peaceful sleep were abruptly interrupted by a magnificent, roaring thunderclap. Victoria was jolted awake, pulled altogether too quickly from a lovely dream about an endless field of yellow tulips. Eyes wide at the sudden explosion of noise and heart fluttering with surprised shock, she sat up ramrod-straight in the little basket.

She would not have been able to claim herself much of a cat if she were not able to see in the dark, but the jarring shift in consciousness was toying with her senses as the haze of sleep lifted from her. Victoria’s eyes flitted about, this way and that, attempting to find purchase on any solid shape in the murky room. She could feel the phantom tendrils of the dark creeping slowly up her body, their icy cold slither sending a shiver down her spine. Her body was heaving with sharp, quick breaths. Where was she? What was that noise? Was she alone?

Victoria forcibly paused to collect herself and take account of the situation. One thing at a time. Breathe. You are in Mistoffelees’s home. There is a powerful storm outside, it must have been a loud clap of thunder. Squinting out into the pitch-dark room, she could make out the faint outlines of the two armchairs, there was the desk and the table with the vase... Where was Mistoffelees?

Victoria did not have to wait long for an answer as a snuffling sort of snore came from somewhere on the floor nearby. Her eyes were nearly adjusted now, and she could discern Mistoffelees’s sleeping form, sprawled out gracelessly upon the green pillow. As Victoria puzzled at how such an anxious cat could sleep through this terrible storm, another echoing boom of thunder split violently through the silence. Victoria, in spite of herself, jumped and released a small, startled yelp.

“Mmff... -toria?” came Mistoffelees’s drowsy voice from the floor.

Drat. She had woken him. “I’m sorry Mistoffelees, I didn’t mean to cause a fuss. The storm startled me.”

Mistoffelees sat up on the pillow, rubbing sleep out of an eye with one paw.

“Are you all right?”

“Sorry. Yes. I’ve always had trouble with dark, and storms, and loud noises, you see. So you might say this is a perfect... Well, storm, for lack of better words.”

This earned a chuckle from Mistoffelees. “You’re right funny when you want to be, you know that? Wish I could be more like you,” he yawned.

“But you make plenty of cats laugh!” Victoria retorted.

“Only when I’m not trying to,” Mistoffelees said up to her, chuckling once more. He may have had a smile on his face—in the dark, Victoria could not rightly tell—but something in his voice colored the reply almost with a twinge of sadness.

Another flash of lightning and sudden crack of thunder shook the room, and Victoria was unable to keep from once again crying out in surprise. Darkness always put her on edge. She could not wait for this storm and this night to end.

Mistoffelees was on his feet in an instant, half out of concern for Victoria and half, she suspected, because he himself had also been startled. He swung a leg over the side of the basket and climbed in beside her. As the echoing remnants of the thunderclap mumbled weakly in the distance, he splayed his paws out in front of him, fingers spread wide, as though wanting to provide comfort but uncertain of what to do or if it was all right to touch her. He settled on moving to sit beside Victoria and patting her back reassuringly.

Victoria hiccuped.

“I’m sorry to be a bother. I’ve always been burdened with a rather embarrassing fear of the dark, and the whole Macavity situation has not helped. Silly, really, being scared by the weather.”

She felt Mistoffelees’s paw leave her back and saw it join its twin in his lap before he replied.

“You’re braver than you know, Victoria. If you were half as scared as I am all the time, you’d be a mess.” His paw went back up to bashfully rub the back of his head.

“But you’re not a mess.”

Mistoffelees’s head cocked. “Do you think so?” He let out a half-hearted laugh. “Most cats might not agree.”

Victoria gave a curt nod. “Yes, I do think so. Sure you trip over your own feet, and you can be a bit shy sometimes, but you can be brave when it really matters, and you have a good heart.”

Mistoffelees looked stunned, as though he was unused to receiving compliments. Thinking on it, Victoria deduced that he probably was.

“Well then,” he said after a silent moment, shifting to rise to his feet, “since we’re both decidedly brave, we’d best be getting back to sleep.”

It was at this moment that Victoria made a choice. Damn propriety. It was tiresome constantly worrying about how to act, what was proper, how she should behave. She was going to give her head a rest and let her heart take over.

Before Mistoffelees was able to withdraw himself from her, she grabbed onto his arm.

“Wait.”

She was met with a puzzled look from him, and she struggled to find the correct words.

“Would you— Could you—”

Thankfully, he seemed to be able to discern meaning in her stuttering, and he lowered himself down next to her once more.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Victoria was all but exhausted by this time, and the siren song of sleep was calling to her invitingly. Turning away from Mistoffelees to lay upon her side, she curled herself up tightly to leave room for her new companion on the pillow in the small basket. As the fading rolls of thunder resonated in the distance, she felt the curve of Mistoffelees’s back press against hers as he mirrored her actions and settled beside her. Not long after, the cadence of his breathing began to slow, and he was quickly within the encompassing grasp of slumber once more. Victoria wove her tail around his and nestled deeper into the pillow, sighing contentedly before sleep welcomed her into its embrace as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jellicle anatomy makes no sense and I hate it. They’re people but they’re cats and this is blowing my mind because I don’t know whether they have arms or legs or paws or feet or what. Also I keep forgetting that they have tails...


End file.
